Tuesday, January 17, 2006

David Thomas Broughton / The Complete Guide To Insufficiency / Rating 8.4

Dripping with inky ambience, his hypnotic sick-souled mantras are simpler than Chasny's and comparable to Youngs' recent outings, but without the playful Arthur Russell flourishes.

I shouldn’t blame the record. I should be cursing the deadly combination of vegan peanut brittle, Irish whiskey, jelly beans, beer, and two menthol cigarettes. The scary part is I don’t even smoke, I mean I NEVER EVER SMOKE but anyhow this particular grouping’s end result was me being sick and then sick some more.

And no this isn’t a regular meal for me, these items happened to be available at a party I was at last night.

The David Thomas Broughton cd is a few months old so with no help from my already muddy brain I couldn’t recall much about the release other than the premise of the recording( church / all in one take) was better than the music itself, and that David’s voice created a chemical reaction in me where I wince like just ate something tart. The same thing happens to me when I listen to Antony and the Johnsons. The mournful shimmer in both of their voices literally doesn’t sit well with my body.

Recalling these two details should have sent a red flag to my brain saying you don’t like this record so don’t play it but I am especially special today, like crash helmet special, so into my cd player it went.

My head is throbbing at a high BPM level. My hands are shaking as type this and I know this record must be calming and beautiful to fans of this genre but Broughton’s voice actually enhances my hangover to the point of unbearable.

The PFM review does this record proper justice and I thank Brandon Stosuy for not mentioning Neutral Milk Hotel in his review. NMH is mentioned on the label one sheet for this record and I have seen the name dropped in many other reviews so it’s nice to see somebody resisted to the temptation.

A double bravo for the Arthur Russell mention as well; it is not only on point but the artist is not well known in even the snobbiest of music circles.

This Broughton cd deserves to be loved but it won't find any in my home. The first person to leave a comment in the comment section of this post saying you would like it can have it. Email us your name and address at tuningforkmedia@hotmail.com and it will be sent tomorrow when my legs aren’t wobbly like a new born giraffe and I can actually make it to the post office without collapsing. WE HAVE A WINNER